2007 Ford Mustang Shelby GT

The best Mustang? Perhaps. But paying $10,530 more than for a stock Mustang GT seems all wrong for $2700 worth of bolt-on parts.

No amount of wheel time behind teenager-owned Civics could have prepared us for the GT's short shifter. The cue-ball-topped Hurst lever literally takes inches out of the shifter's movement and, of course, raises the shift effort substantially. Until you learn to act as though you're trying to break it, the shifter will feel clunky, and even then it doesn't seem to save much in the way of shift times, particularly the second-to-third and fourth-to-fifth gearchanges.

The lowered suspension seems like a good change—and the GT certainly looks better when parked—as we chuck it into the first couple of corners. It's far more buttoned down, with less body roll. Just don't drive it on a really rough section of pavement; trust us, we tried that. Over moderate bumps, the GT's ride is firmer than we'd like and gets uncomfortable after about a two-hour stint. Then we hit a murderous stretch of potholed two-lane, where any semblance of a pleasing ride-and-handling balance fell apart. More than once we wondered if we were going to stay in our lane, or even on the road, as the front and rear axles seemed to be bobbing and wiggling completely out of sync with each other, while the quick-off-center steering gives only a rough estimate as to where the car is pointed. Not that a regular Mustang would have faired all that much better, but the experience still left us yearning for something (anything) more refined. A Mazda RX-8, perhaps? A BMW 328i? Not only are those two infinitely better to drive, but they're also cheaper than a Shelby GT.

Keep the Shelby GT in its natural environment—running quarter-mile times—and it's far happier. The free-breathing V-8 sounds fantastic but doesn't feel any stronger. The Shelby will do burnouts for weeks, and it's easy to control and slide around like a hero. Just don't take it to a "real" track, i.e., a road course, where the Shelby's brakes (same as the Mustang GT's) fade away after about one lap.

Why are people so gung-ho about this latest Shelby? We can't explain it, nor can we remember the last time we were driving something that attracted this much attention. And if you think the base price is astronomical—we do—these GTs are selling on eBay for as much as $50,000.

Model Research

*AccuPayment estimates payments under various scenarios for budgeting and informational purposes only. AccuPayment does not state credit or lease terms that are available from a creditor or lessor, and AccuPayment is not an offer or promotion of a credit or lease transaction.